Last updated on December 18th, 2024

These old-fashioned Sour Cream Sugar Cookies are a soft, tender sugar cookie with a tangy bite from the sour cream. This cookie is a Christmas classic, perfect for any holiday cookie tin. You can easily make these year-round though by simply rolling in holiday themed colored sugar or frost with colored buttercream.

Vintage Inspiration: This recipe is from a scrap of paper in my my great grandmothers old recipe box.

How to make Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

INGREDIENTS

butter:

I modified the recipe by using real butter instead of shortening. I prefer an all-natural taste over shortening, which has a waxy texture and lack of flavor. I’ve also added an extra 1/4 c. butter to the original recipe. Many newer sour cream cookies actually call for 1 c. of butter, however using that ratio of butter to flour causes too much spread.

sour cream:

Be sure to use real, all-natural sour cream in this cookie since it is the star ingredient here. My favorite brand is Daisy, which is simply made of cultured cream. Other brands and some labeled as “light” tend to have additives or they may be watered down with milk.

BAKER’S TIPS

chill the dough:

If you simply just swap out the shortening for butter without chilling the dough, your cookie will spread and you will loose the cake-like, soft texture we love about this cookie. Chilling the scooped dough for 10 minutes is one additional step to ensure less spread.

decorating:

I like to keep the look simple and classic by simply rolling them in holiday themed colored sanding sugar. Other options include frosting with a rich buttercream or drizzle with a citrus confectioners sugar glaze.

EQUIPMENT

baking sheets:

Always use light-colored, aluminum cookie sheet. I use Nordic Ware aluminum 18×13 half-sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Aluminum is best for distributing and reflecting even heat during the baking process. Dark cookie sheets conduct more heat off the surface, which may lead to your baked goods to burn or darken on the edges before they are fully cooked.